Themed games, in case you’re not familiar with the term, are games that combine game mechanics with graphics and motifs that are supposed to evoke a particular theme (thus the name). Most of the time, the theme would be difficult to separate from the mechanics. Wargames could be played without specific historical overlays, but what would be the point? Who wants to reenact D-Day with generic soldier figures, or take over a board made of identical shapes rather than nations of the world?

The Hollywood! Card Game presents a quick and painless card game with interesting mechanics, nice art and an entertaining theme. In this themed game, players compete to get powerful movie scenes and high-caliber stars. The winner is the one whose movies make the most money.

The Cards

The cards in Hollywood! are outstanding. There are three kinds of scene cards – horror, action, and romantic comedy – and they are all very nicely illustrated. It takes a close look to realize that if you place all the cards from a single movie type end to end, they form a continuous image, with attractive art on each card forming a complete picture.

The game also includes several movie stars. These bear great illustrations of actors and actresses, from the chiseled-jaw, million-dollar leading man and classically-trained Shakespearean actor to the cheesy kung-fu star, and even a very charismatic dog. The art is great, and makes the game fun to play just to flip through the actors.

Other cards are included – the blockbuster card, with its drawing of a movie theater, and the player option cards, which are simply iconic cards that give players a slight strategic edge when used correctly. These are also quite nice.

The game also includes several cardboard chips with a movie reel printed on both sides. These chips, which come in four different colors, are utilitarian but especially attractive, and might make you wonder how much more it would have cost to just include little plastic chips.

The Game

The goal in Hollywood! is to make the most money by producing either the most movies or the best ones. Every movie is made up of one or more scenes and finished off when a star is attached to the film.

To start off, the scene and blockbuster cards are shuffled into one deck, and the stars are shuffled into another. Three stars are drawn and shuffled together with eleven scene cards, and these are played face-up to build the Hollywood area. The cards are laid out in four columns, two columns being four cards tall, and two only three cards tall.

Once Hollywood is built, the first player places a movie reel chip of his color on the bottom row of cards. Only the bottom row may be played; rows farther up can only wind up with chips when they are pushed there. If a player places a movie reel onto a card that contains a reel already, the reel is pushed up one card, pushing all the reels above it one more. If a column is full, it cannot be played.

Each player has two special cards, each of which can only be used once per game. One card allows a player to place two movie reels at once, and the other allows a player to skip his turn. Both can provide a huge strategic edge when used properly.

Once the twelfth movie reel has been placed, the round ends. Hollywood is handed out one card at a time, each card going to the player whose movie reel is on it, starting at the upper left corner and proceeding down the columns. If a player receives a movie star, he must assign it to a movie immediately, completing the film. If a player gets a star and has no scenes, the star is wasted. If a player receives a blockbuster card, he sets it aside for the end of the game, when it is worth two points.

The game proceeds through a number of round equal to the number of players, after which points are tallied. Movies are worth a number of points equal to the number of scenes times the star power of their star – Tom Strong is a three-star actor, while Nessie the Dog is worth just one. To be honest, I would love to see a romantic comedy starring Nessie the Dog, but the big-ticket stars can make your movies worth a lot more.

Observations

Usually, a game’s theme is not questioned, and tends to be tied closely to the mechanics. However, The Hollywood! Card Game does not enjoy that distinction. The mechanics make for a fun, competitive, shifting game full of plotting and flexible strategy, but the game could just as easily have been about real estate or marine life. Of course, if the theme had been something more mundane than the cutthroat business of making movies, it would not have had those cool cards. The theme makes sense, but it is very shallow.

All things considered, Hollywood! is a great game. Play is fast and interesting, challenging to win and yet easy to learn, and the colorful graphics are great. At only seven bucks, there is no good reason not to add this to your collection. In the words of Ed Wood (as played by Johnny Depp), ‘Let’s make some movies!’

You can learn more about The Hollywood Card Game at www.fantasyflightgames.com/hollywood.html.

Style: 4 – The art on these cards is colorful and amusing, although it is the only thing granting any semblance of a theme to the game.

Substance: 4 – A challenging game that is easy to learn and quick to play.